After yesterday's slow start to the free book giveaway, things have started to improve significantly.
With expectations calling for hundreds, if not thousands of downloads the first day, which would generate all kinds of nifty rankings, publicity and accolades, early reports yesterday morning showed "Finding God in Texas" with a grand total of 44. Talk about letting the wind out of your sails. The day ended, however, with 200 downloads, and a no. 1 ranking in the amazon.com free e-book Southwest category. No. 1. This morning, the grand total increased to 361, and I don't have today's final tally yet, but I expect it's approaching 500 downloads. Not what we were expecting but, hey, it continued to rank no. 1 in Southwest! So, there are three more days to get a free copy. Click here and get one: http://amzn.to/Rlh5V3 After Friday, the price goes up from free to $9-10. Get one now. Even if you don't like it, what's the damage? There also is a beautiful paperback version available. Immense thanks for everybody who downloaded a book and helped get the word out. It's pretty amazing. Ciao, y'all ...
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... days of school left, that is.
Today was not a great day. It should have been a great day. Release of my book, free giveaway promotion, publishers excited about it. But I was too damn keyed up, nervous about what was going to happen. I really didn't expect a whole lot, but people who know what they're doing were telling me they had high hopes. So, I was thinking, maybe ... By around 11 or so this morning, there were 44 free downloads reported from amazon.com. Not too good. I don't know what the latest numbers are, six or seven hours later, but it's pretty much been a bust. Not a complete disaster, though. And it ain't over yet. There are four more days left in the free promotion, and there are other things in the works. These guys don't give up that easily. This was just the first attempt, they tell me, and they've sold a lot of books. More later. Ciao, y'all ... "Just be you, John. That's plenty good enough."
Those are the words of my dear friend, Tom Kierulf, who called me last night from Spain. It was nearly one in the morning there when he called, and he was feeling pretty good, after a few glasses of his beloved brandy. Tom is like an older version of me, in many ways. He's a lot wiser than I am, though. We met in early June 2011, in a small village called Uterga on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. We had stopped at the same albergue in that little village, and happened to sit at the same table for dinner. It was at the end of my first day walking the Camino, and I was dead tired. It had been kind of a rough day. I had to make a pretty significant climb nearly right off the bat, up this stretch called the Alto de Perdon (the Hill of Forgiveness) and I never could get my backpack to fit quite right and feel comfortable. It was really heavy and my right shoulder was not happy. As we talked over dinner -- me, Tom, and a husband and wife from Germany -- I was describing my backpack troubles, and Tom advised me to cinch up the bottom strap as tight as I could get it, and then a little tighter. That takes the weight off the shoulders and puts it more onto the hips. He also told me, after he and everyone else stopped laughing, to get rid of the two-pound jar of peanut butter that I had packed. Keeping your backpack as light as possible is one of the most important things for long-distance walking, and they could not believe I brought a two-pound jar of peanut butter. Some people actually cut straps and buckles and things off their backpack to trim ounces off the overall weight. I had books in there, a journal that probably weighed a pound or two, a small pharmacy in plastic bags, too much clothing, a compressible camping pillow, assorted other stuff, and two pounds of peanut butter. Hey, I read during my research that peanut butter was hard to find over there, and came in handy for snacking. A small jar probably would have been enough, though. The next morning, I sat at a picnic table outside the albergue, spread some peanut butter on a piece of leftover bread for breakfast, and ditched the rest. Left it sitting on the table as a donation. Hopefully, somebody put it to good use. So that's how we met. I ran into him again at the end of the second day's walking, and by the end of the first week, we were becoming friends. Last summer, I spent four days at his home in Coruna, on the northwest coast. Last night, Tom told me he has been reading my blog and following my efforts at self-improvement. He knows my fears and insecurities, strengths and weaknesses and such. And he tells me to lighten up. Give myself a break. "Just be you, John. That's plenty good enough." That's the trick, I think. Figuring out that it's OK just to be me. I am me, after all, and I can't be someone else or something that I'm not. I can try, but it doesn't work. It's a beautiful Saturday morning, and I've finished about a four-mile walk, down the road and back again. A little lunch is in order, then off to the golf course for a little driving range practice. Ciao, y'all ... Ahhhh, the end of a long week. A good week, but a long one.
So, the first day of the NFL draft was all over the news today, of course. And a lot of the talk was about good ol' Johnny Football, college superstar from Texas A&M, who went to the lowly Cleveland Browns. Poor Manziel is likely to get busted up in Cleveland, if he's not careful. Even if he is careful, I don't think I like his chances. But I'll be pulling for him, nonetheless. And I'll be excited to see what some of these other draftees do in the NFL. It's always exciting to follow the college players into the pros and see how they do. With the addition of Jadeveon Clowney, the Houston Texans' defense should become a force. I'm not too sure about their offense, but, hey, if your opponent can't score points, they can't beat you. Still, I just don't see myself becoming a fan of the Texans. The Oilers are (were) my team, and always will be. I just can't jump ship. I can't do it. Now, if the Texans were a team made up entirely of actual Texans -- guys from Texas, all of 'em -- then there wouldn't be any question. If there were a rule in the NFL that said teams must be comprised of players only from their home state, then I'd be in all the way. Can you imagine if the Texans and the Cowboys had rosters comprised entirely of Texas natives? At the very least, only players from Texas colleges? The Giants and the Jets players all had to come from New York? Steelers players all from Pennsylvania? So on and so on? Imagine the rivalries there. I think it would be great ... As it stands now, the NFL, and all pro sports for that matter, is a revolving door. In and out, here and there, show me the money. There's no loyalty. Things like Case Keenum playing for the University of Houston and now the Houston Texans is fantastic. I love that. That's where he should be playing. Now, what about guys who play college ball in states where there's no pro football team? Hmm. Tough question. That's making it too complicated, though. I don't have an answer. Let's keep it simple. Simple minds need to keep things simple. Maybe ... hell, I don't know. Hometown heroes. That's what I want. Can you honestly say that Jadeveon Clowney gives a rat's patoot about the city of Houston, or where he plays pro ball? Show me the money. Show me more money in three years, and adios. I love it here in wherever. Anyway, two days 'til golf and all is well. Ciao, y'all ... Stormy Monday is a lot better title, but it's already been used. And, remember, there is a special announcement coming very soon about a fantastic promotional offer that will get you a copy and save you some cash. Stay tuned. Tonight is the NFL draft, and I think this is the first time that I'll actually be watching it on TV. One mock draft I saw somewhere had Johnny Manziel dropping all the way to the 23rd selection. I don't see that happening. He was still the first quarterback taken at no. 23, but it ain't gonna happen that far down the line. Despite my friend Tom's friendly guilt-trip about rooting for the hometown team no matter what (he and I are both Houston natives), I would really like to see Manziel wind up with the Cowboys. I just can't root for the dadgum Texans, because they ain't the Oilers. I'm sort of a Cowboys fan, but not really. However, with Manziel on board, the Cowboys would become my team. Shoot, the Texans might even become my team if they take Manziel, but I don't think they will. Clowney, Clowney, Clowney. I didn't like some of the hot-headed stuff he was doing last year at A&M, but the guy is a talented, charismatic, thrilling player, and a heckuva lot of fun to watch. And he's a Texan. Anyway, tomorrow's Friday, TGIF. Looking forward to the weekend. Ciao, y'all ... Today really was a great day.
Decent day at school. Put the little darlings to work all day. Supervised 'em. Annual review with the boss went well. They're going to let me work another year -- again. And an exciting e-mail today from one of my publishers, Matt Stone. Matt Stone is an amazing guy. I've never met him in person, but he is excellent at what he does, and he tells me he is excited about my book, and the prospects for its success as the initial launch approaches. There is a great promotion coming up in a few days to kick things off, and I don't want to let the cat out of the bag, so I'll just say be ready for announcements coming up. With a little help from my friends, I can get myself listed among the Top 100 new e-book downloads on amazon.com. Wouldn't that be something ... So I know you're all itching to get your hands on a copy, but please wait until next Monday. There's a reason I ask you to wait, and you won't be disappointed. Nothing major in the news today, at least not that I care to talk about. Monica Lewinsky? Nah. Hillary Clinton? No. Some more stuff about Johnny Manziel, though, and where he'll be taken in the upcoming NFL draft. Something new out on that pretty much every day. This latest report has him dropping out of the top 10 in the draft. I don't believe that for a minute. These jokers are trying to bluff each other, and I'll be surprised if he's not the first quarterback taken. I'm really not sure if he's big enough and durable enough to survive in the NFL, but I can't wait to see him try. The guy is electric. I used to say that he has some uncanny knack for getting down, escaping and avoiding the big hits, but last year he took some pretty good shots in college. One of those NFL linebackers lays into him at full speed, and he's going to get hurt. I hope the Cowboys get him. I haven't had a pro team to really root for since the Houston Oilers became the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers were always my team, and so I haven't had one in a long time. I went to Oilers' games when they played at Rice Stadium, for heaven's sakes. I sort of became a Cowboys fan after the Oilers left, since my aunt and uncle were always Cowboys fans and we went over there a lot when I was a kid and watched football on TV. But if they get Manziel, I'll officially become a Cowboys fan. My wife, who is from Erie, Pa., is a lifelong Steelers fan and hates the Cowboys. So that would make for some interesting Sundays. Anyway, stay tuned for news on the book. Please and thank you. Ciao, y'all ... A beautiful day here in Central Texas, and a much better day all around.
I knew it would get better. Work was smooth and easy, and the nice Mr. Clark was in attendance pretty much all day today. It's teacher appreciation week, or some such nonsense, and tomorrow they're serving us some kind of sandwiches for lunch. Things like this are always a gamble. To bring a lunch or not bring a lunch -- that is the question. I figure the sandwiches are going to be pretty good, so I'm going to take a chance on starving for the day, if things don't go well. With only 30 minutes for lunch, there's no time to make a mad dash somewhere if the sandwiches suck, so it's a bit of a roll of the dice. Meanwhile, in the news today. Another of my sports heroes is Kareem Abdul Jabbar, also known as Lew Alcindor, considered by some to be the greatest basketball player of all time. Hard to argue with that. Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Michael Cooper, Kurt Rambus. Man, those were the days, my friend. Are there teams like that anymore? Magic Johnson and the L.A. Lakers against Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics. Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson, Robert Parish, Danny Ainge. Charles Barkley, Dennis Rodman, Isaiah Thomas. The NBA will never be like that again. I don't even watch it. Jabbar was in the news today, and I was really proud to read his comments about Donald Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, who is in all kinds of trouble and will probably be forced to sell his team because of comments he made that were recorded and made public by a scorned gold-digging girlfriend. I haven't always agreed with things Jabbar has said and done over the years, but in this case, he says that Sterling should indeed lose his franchise for the negative comments he made about black people, but he also thinks the whole thing is an invasion of privacy. I agree wholeheartedly. Sterling didn't say the things he said during an interview with some newspaper, radio or TV station. It was supposed to be a private conversation. Meanwhile, it's warm, there's a nice breeze blowing in through the back screen door, and the birds are chirping outside. Five days until golf ... Ciao, y'all ... It's a wonder I didn't blow a gasket today ...
From the time I got out of bed this morning, today sucked. I just felt bad. In a bad mood. Really bad. All day long. And I don't think I'm being negative, really -- just telling the truth. I did my positive-thinking affirmations, and my little prayer, several times today -- closed my eyes once, took a few deep breaths, said my prayer -- but it never got any better. One of the positive thinking messages I got on my Facebook was something like, "Every day is a gift, even if it sucks." So it's OK. Today sucked, and tomorrow will be better. I feel a lot more relaxed now that I'm home. The news item that caught my eye this morning was about a blind high school pole vaulter, Charlotte Brown, of Emory, Texas, a junior and one of the state's top vaulters, who is gunning for a state championship. Brown, who also runs the anchor leg for her team in the 4-by-400 meter relay, uses beeper devices to help her in the pole vault. To somehow find where to plant that pole, and fly 12 feet in the air, as she speeds down the approach run. Pole vaulting? Amazing. On a high note locally, one of my publishers, Matt Stone, says the paperback re-release of "Finding God in Texas" is coming soon. Some production snag has pushed it back a bit, but the new Kindle release is available now! click here Before long, there will be some outstanding promotional offers for both, so be ready and help support me and the cool people at Archangel Ink. Please and thank you. So, it's on to brighter days. For one thing, there now are 22 school days left in the year. As one colleague put it, at the lunch break, "Next Monday, it will be in the teens!" Enough said. Ciao, y'all ... A beautiful day today for golf. And oh so close to sensational ...
Gator and I went and played at the courses on Fort Hood, as they are having a tournament at our usual Sunday venue. There are three excellent nine-hole courses on the military installation, which are all open to the public, and you play two of 'em, whichever ones they assign you when you check-in. One of the nines is fairly open and lot more forgiving to errant shots, while the other two are recipes for disaster if you're not hitting it straight. We played the harder of the three nines today, and I was playing really well. A nice birdie at no. 1 got things off to a great start. I could easily have been one shot over par at the turn, except for three really short missed putts. So I'm out at 40, and looking at possibly shooting something in the 70s, unheard of for me at Fort Hood, and admittedly rare any time. Things went a little south, though, on the second nine and I started driving the damn ball all over the place, sailing it into the woods five or six times, and wound up with an 84. One of these days, though, one of these days ... Now, it's on to a lazy afternoon, cooking some drumsticks and thighs on the grill, watching a little golf on TV, and just a-chillin'. I may wrap up my story for next week's Cove Banner. It's a profile of a friend who served with the 82nd Airborne, and who was told nine years ago that he needed a heart transplant. This guy thought about it for awhile, prayed about it, and then turned down the transplant, even though doctors told him he was gonna die without it. He told them that Gold told him he wasn't going to need it. Turns out, he was right. That was 2005, and he's still with us. Have a good week. Ciao, y'all ... Arriving home from the store this afternoon, I looked at Facebook on my phone and saw a message from a Camino friend and fellow Texan, Tom. We met last summer at a restaurant in Sahagun, I think it was, around the midpoint on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.
Tom was walking the Camino with his sister, JoAnn. He's a big, boisterous, happy-go-lucky, retired Air Force guy, movie buff and scratch golfer. We have yet to get together for a round, but I think it'll probably happen this summer. Anyway, Tom's message said that he has been sending these blogs that I've been posting on Facebook to JoAnn, because she doesn't have a Facebook account. He said she told him that she stayed up late Thursday night, reading my blogs all the way back to the Camino (Camino blog) and that she was buying a copy of my book from Amazon. Guess you have a fan, he said. How cool is that? Maybe I'm onto something here, with this daily blogging thing, putting myself out there. I'm not very comfortable marketing myself, but it's something I've got to learn to do. By the way, my newly redesigned "Finding God in Texas" is out now in Kindle format, available on Amazon, along with the first edition of the paperback version. (Finding God in Texas) The redesigned paperback is due out any time. It was a pretty exciting day today, for a middle-age, slightly overweight, somewhat bored homeowner-type person. After I got my pickup back from the shop (turns out nothing was wrong with it; just some residual fluid from the previous repairs), I went to Walmart and bought 16 bags of red mulch. Spread that stuff on the garden I turned half my front lawn into a few years ago, after our trees started getting so big and thick they were blocking the sunlight all day from reaching the Bermuda grass lawn. By this time, it was about 1:30 and starting to get a little warm, so I went inside, turned on the air conditioning and flopped on the couch. The golf tournament was starting at 2, and the pre-show was about a high school girl who came down with some serious form of leukemia, and how golf pretty much saved her life. And then there was a story about a soldier who was blown up overseas, and eventually had to get the lower half of one leg amputated. Discovering golf brought a spark back into his life and gave him a new sense of pride and accomplishment. When you see things like that, you say shame on me for ever feeling sorry for myself. After a few hours on the couch, I cranked up the truck again and went grocery shopping. Oh, yeah, and in between all that I did my laundry. A pretty hum-drum but productive, satisfying and positive day. And tomorrow ... It's time to play golf. And thanks, again, Tom, you made my day. Ciao, y'all ... |